Manus Dei
by Seirene
Summary: In a time of strife and terror, the monarchy seeks to silence those who would speak the truth. But there are those who would die to see it revealed. Year 845, following the incident at Wall Maria, Renata Svoboda and the members of the 102nd Trainee Squad begin their training to reclaim what was wrongfully taken from them. However, there are forces with other plans in mind.
1. 001: In Memory of the Blackwood Tree

_My name is Renata Svoboda. I am a cadet of the 102__nd__ trainee squad. We are the brave fools who – propelled by the incident at Shiganshina – dove headfirst into military enlistment. Humanity lost more than Wall Maria that day, but we traded her for something else: an awakening, a revival of the human spirit. The minds and hearts of men had grown complacent over their hundred years of peace. They had grown so dependent, so enamored by these three walls that they forgot about what they stood for. But we can no longer wait in silence to be devoured by the forces outside. We must devour them. _

Rain poured mercilessly through the canopy above as chilling crosswinds battered the figures leaping through them. Visibility was at a zero with the sun struggling to penetrate the wall of clouds. It could only muster a dim gray haze. Every now and then, a flash of lightning would momentarily illuminate the forest enough to assess its bearings. On this day of inclement conditions, the 102nd trainee squad had begun their first field exercise utilizing three-dimensional gear, and so far, the outlook seemed grim. Four cadets had already broken a limb in the past two hours. Two others had been knocked unconscious, and there were still three hours left to this battery of the exercise. The remaining cadets continued to push onward despite the worsening conditions.

_Despite all of this… I don't know if I have made the right decision. Joining the military was the last thing I've ever thought of, and yet her I am – frozen and exhausted chasing shadows in the rain. For a while, I thought the military was the vanguard of our war against the titans. _

"10m class approaching at 8'oclock!" a voice called from the front of the formation. The limited visibility and strong crosswinds made signal flares useless. They were forced to rely heavily on vocal relay. At the order, three cadets from the left outer flank broke off towards the specified direction.

_But I was wrong. They are just the left hand of the monarchy. They are the epitome of misguided hope. The monarchy chooses for them, and they obey willingly for the better or worse. In the beginning, I thought the one purpose we would always serve is protecting and one day saving mankind from its despair. That's the lie we all came to believe. But now I understand. _

The three sped through the trees, searching for any signs of movement. Anxiety bore into their souls. This had been the first time they were allowed to equip their sabers in a training exercise. The raw potential of two blades burned beneath their grips. With these, they would carve out their names in humanity's history or fall into oblivion.

A large shadow bloomed into view. "Target approaching at 12'oclock in 20 meters!" the tiniest of the group yelled from the center.

"Prepare interception formation!" Renata ordered over the increasing downpour. "Anya, you and Marcel will be the anchors. I will go straight for the nape. Make the pull on my mark!"

_Humanity needs their strength and abilities, but we do not need their ignorance. All these idiots can keep playing follow the leader until kingdom come, but as for me, only three things will always be true:_

"Three… two… one… DISPERSE!"

Time stopped, and they drifted. Anya and Marcel broke off from the left and right flanks while Renata continued forward. Blood pounded at her ears as she increased speed. She angled her hips carefully before firing each grapple, trying to stay on course against the battering winds. They swung her to and fro, throwing her off balance and adding to the nausea growing within. But she remained resolute in her charge. There would be no stopping now. The target was in sight and the die had been cast.

"_One, an object in constant uniform motion remains in motion unless acted upon by an external force, the law of inertia…"_

Renata swung through two sets of trees and fired her final grapples before preparing for the kill maneuver. She shifted her weight to the right, aiming for a wide trunk that dwarfed the titan shadow below. Marcel and Anya had begun encircling the towering figure and aimed their grapples at what appeared to be its legs. They sank their blades in and swung back into the trees.

"_Two, the net force acting upon an object is related to its mass and acceleration…"_

Renata's body swung violently around the large trunk, but she maintained course. She had to maintain speed to deliver an impact strong enough to penetrate the neck. The next set of grapples aimed to the sharp left and pulled her above the kill zone. She positioned her blades high above her head just as she twisted her body and delivered the fatal blow.

"Great work, Ren!" Anya cheered from the right, but Renata never heard. She was deafened by her still increasing pulse and greatly disoriented from the last few maneuvers. The tree she had anchored on became a messy blur as the grapples pulled her at high speed. There was no time to slow down before she would crash. In panic, Renata retracted the right grapple and aimed for another nearby tree. The resulting force on the cables pulled her in opposite directions and jolted her body to a halt. The right cable snapped from the tension, sending Renata plummeting to the earth. The time that seemed to stop before came rushing forward while the ground rose to meet her with open arms.

"_Three, for every action, there exists an equal and opposite reaction…"_

**Blackout.**

_I'll never know why I know those laws, but they've held up pretty well. And the man who told me them has yet to be proven wrong._

* * *

**DISCLAIMER: **I do not claim any rights to any creative and/or intellectual property belonging to Hajime Isayama. All source material is based from Shingeki no Kyojin and credit is given to the aforementioned author.


	2. 002: Back Then

"Newton's first law."

"An object experiencing uniform motion remains in motion unless acted upon by an external force: the law of inertia."

"The second?"

"An object's acceleration is directly related to the net force acting upon it and inversely related to the mass of the object."

"And finally…"

"For every action, an equal an opposite reaction exists: conservation of force."

"Very good, Renata. You've studied well."

"Grandpa, why am I learning all this stuff anyway?"

The elderly man paused. He peered over his glasses at the redheaded child in front of him. Her stormy eyes glistened in the candlelight. They had spent every night doing the same dance for the past seven years. He'd teach Renata something new each time, but they always ended on the same laws. She struggled to recite them at first, yet over time it became like clockwork in her mind. Her curious nature found amusement in the lessons, but never once had she questioned their purpose… until now.

"Well now, it's not all just _stuff_. It's science! It's the fundamental laws and relationships that govern everything we know! And it's the only truth that will never change in our world," he smiled at his granddaughter. There was a heavy weight on his words that Renata would not understand.

"Is that why it's forbidden?" she prodded on.

"Why do you ask that?"

"Well… that's what mom and dad say. They told me we could get in real big trouble with the monarchy. That they don't want people to start talking about us, and it's all just nonsense anyway. Tristan thinks it's stupid."

"Your parents and your brother are not entirely wrong, though their priorities seem misplaced," he spoke pensively as he rubbed his stubbly chin. "The monarchy does not approve of science being common knowledge because of its potential. There are terrible possibilities that exist if used incorrectly – but there are just as many great ones. For instance, how do we fight titans?"

"With three dimensional gear!"

"Precisely! And the principles that make three dimensional gear work are the ones you just told me. Humanity was given a fighting chance thanks to the workings of science alone. If one can master its principles and delve into its secrets, one can manipulate reality itself."

"Like magic?" her eyes grew wide with excitement.

The man chuckled. He leaned forward and ruffled his granddaughter's unruly hair.

"Yes, Renata. Just like magic."

* * *

Mitras – the mighty gem of Wall Sina, cradle to the houses of nobility and royalty alone. It was a testament to humanity's tenacity and perseverance in a world full of uncertainties – superficial order in the abyss of chaos. The royal palace rested at the very center. Its towering walls cast deep shadows on the houses of the lay nobility at sunrise.

The servants were the first to rise at this early hour. They swept the grand halls and prepared the day's meals with great care. The smell of spiced meats and rising yeast wafted through the streets. Delivery carts were well into their daily routes, leaving fresh milk and the morning's news on each doorstep. Yet the nobles still indulged in their extra moments of slumber, all except a pale-faced child busy at the keys of a grand piano.

"Again. You're off tempo," a stern voice called from across the dim lit hall.

The girl repositioned her small hands and carefully began to climb the scale of D minor with her right hand. Her left hand timidly followed behind. The melodies gradually overlapped, growing into a mild crescendo. They filled the hall just as light from the rising sun began to trickle in through the windows. A loud rap from across the room quickly silenced the music's progression.

"You're still off. Once more," the voice snapped.

A deep sigh escaped from the tiny musician's lips. She repositioned her hands once more and began to count in her head. Music began to pour out from the piano, but the girl was only interested in the numbers repeating in her head. Her hands had been so used to piece's key progression that they seemed to move to their own accord. Each key fired off its tone in time and soon the flood of sound was coursing through the hall once more, but her mind still focused on the evenly paced numbers in three eight time. Eyes closed with a single-minded goal.

"_One-and-two-and-three-and-one-and-two-and-three-and-one-and-two-and-three-and-"_

_RAP!_

Her eyes shot open, and she suddenly realized that her hands were no longer moving.

"Asleep at the piano are we?" the stern voice from before was at her back.

"I-I'm sorry Mrs. Finn. I was still counting, and I didn't realize…" the girl mumbled in reply.

"Pity. You have so much potential, and yet you lack discipline. What would your mother think, Renata?"

"I-…"

"Might as well send you off to the military. Maybe a few titans could wake you up to your inadequacy for music."

Mrs. Finn slowly paced around the piano, periodically huffing from her nose. Her graying hair had been pulled up into a tight bun that seemed to stretch the wrinkling skin about her face into a permanent grimace. A long, high-necked dress cloaked her spindly body in black ink. Her stiff posture reminisced a woman who took herself too seriously, but she was Cordelia Finn after all – famed virtuoso, daughter of a master violin craftsman. She prided herself for her intolerance of mediocrity in performance and tutelage. Neither was allowed to mar her prestigious musical pedigree, and Renata was very close to overstepping that line.

"Now, for the _third_ time, play the invention again. Try to keep Bach from turning in his grave this time."

The lesson continued for another three hours before Cordelia had finally reached her limit. Renata still could not perform to her expectations, and she had left the Odilon estate in a fluster. This was not before leaving a _well-worded_ note addressed to Renata's parents.

"I can't stand it anymore, Tristan. That lady is awful," Renata buried her face into her hands.

"Aww, come on. I mean really, what did you expect? Cordelia Finn is the premier concert pianist of the three walls. Mom and dad did everything to convince her to teach you, y'know? Of course she's gonna be hard on you. This is probably her first time teaching a kid," Tristan nudged his sister as he prepared a rock to skip across the pond. The pair always visited the royal gardens in their free time. Skipping rocks, playing tag, lazing around to watch the clouds – it was their sanctuary from the confines of the aristocracy. No one judged them here.

"I know, but still… Is this really worth it? Playing the piano doesn't seem like a useful skill in this day and age, not with titans knocking on our doors."

"You with the titans again… Y'know, I hate stating the obvious, but we do live in Mitras. We have the protection of all three walls."

"But what about everyone else? What about the people at Wall Maria?"

"There hasn't been an attack in a hundred years, Ren. Hey, if you're so worried, do you wanna be the one to join the military? I'll trade ya. Mashing a bunch of keys doesn't look too hard anyway."

"I'm not saying I don't enjoy it."

"Then stop acting like it. Look, why do you keep playing in the first place?"

"I like the effect it has on people. I like being able to take their minds off things, even if it's just for a little bit."

"That sounds like a good enough contribution to humanity to me. And besides, everyone keeps saying you're a prodigy. Twelve years old and already making waves with Cordelia Finn!"

Tristan laughed and skipped another rock across the pond. Renata smiled at the thought. The siblings were separated by three years but grew to be inseparable. Despite being polar opposites, they each learned the value in the other. They complemented each other at their best. Thus, even if her older brother couldn't understand her struggle, at least he cared enough to try.

"You're gonna be a legend someday, sis. So keep at it. Keep playing so that the rest of us can sleep a little better at night. You'll be fighting the titans in your own way."

"Thanks, Tristan."

"Now, try beating that throw!"

* * *

"Isn't it neat? Grandpa says they're really rare."

Two small figures sat beneath the shade of a sprawling Blackwood tree. The redhead clutched a small circular object in her hands. Its metallic finish glinted in the afternoon light.

"Cool… what is it?" the brown eyed boy eyed the trinket in fascination.

"Put out your hand," the girl wrapped a string around the center of the object then pulled it out quickly. The center of the top-like sphere began to spin rapidly. She placed one of the axes carefully on the tip of the boy's index finger. As the center continued to rotate, the top remained completely balanced on his finger.

"This is amazing, Ren!" the boy jumped to his feet and tilted his hand about. He began to run about the tree, focusing only on the strange top.

"Hahaha, be careful, Kristoff! You might trip-" Renata shouted after him but to no avail. His foot caught an exposed root and he found himself plunging face first into the ground.

"Oooowwww."

"Kristoff! Are you okay?"

"Y-yeah. Just a little dizzy. Hehe. Where'd you get this thing anyway?"

"It's called a gyr-o-sssscope... Grandpa said he got it from one of his friends. He thinks someone from the Scouting Legion found it on an expedition."

Renata picked up the glinting sphere from the grass. The center continued to spin despite Kristoff's little accident.

"How does it do that? The not tipping over stuff."

"Grandpa said it's something about the wheel that spins on the inside. Once it starts going, it resists anything that tries to tip it over."

"You're grandpa's so cool, Ren. My dad talks about him all the time. He told me he was a member of the garrison and helped protect Wall Maria a long time ago."

"Hey now, don't make me sound so old!" an elderly man called from the base of the hill. He stood next to a mirror image of Kristoff, thrown thirty years into the future. Their similarities were uncanny save for the eyes.

"Grandpa Odi! What are do we get to learn today?" Kristoff shouted back. The young boy had grown up in the underground city of Mitras and never properly learned the manners of conversation. Anyone older than his father was automatically a grandparent.

"Patience now, little firecracker. That's what Captain Odilon and I were just talking about," his father chided gently.

"There's no need to call me by title, Ivan. It didn't mean anything back at the garrison, and I'm certainly retired now! Though that may have been against my will… But maybe I really am just a bitter old man," the Captain chuckled. "So, kiddos, have you all ever wondered what it's like to fly?"

The children's eyes lit up in anticipation. "Yes!" they shouted in unison. The Captain smiled at his old comrade and patted him on the back. Kristoff had the treat of joining Renata's evening lessons from time to time. His father and her grandfather had known each other back in the military, and they still kept in touch after the Captain's unexpected retirement. Ivan was still an active member of the garrison and spent much of his time pacing Wall Rose. He spent what little time he was granted on leave to visit his family and old friends. A good portion of that time was also spent showing Kristoff the world of normalcy, the world he wished he could have given his son.

"Hoho! Listen to that enthusiasm, Ivan! Now before we get carried away, do we remember the basic laws?"

Renata and Kristoff looked at each other and smiled. They greeted the familiar words like old friends, and the evening's lesson began. The Captain began to speak of birds and their wings. They were marvels of the natural world and the closest thing they'd ever know to angels. He then began to talk of the forces of lift and drag – their correlation to action and reaction. Then there were the topics of gliding, air resistance, and propulsion. It hadn't been long until the Blackwood's shadow grew far and long and the children's minds were burdened with great knowledge. When the sun began to dip into the horizon, the group took a few moments of rest and lit a small lamp.

"Ah, I almost forgot." The Captain took out a sheet of paper from his satchel and began folding two corners inward. He folded the sheet over itself and folded the corners in once more. A crease was made down the center of the paper lengthwise, and he finished by folding two flaps downward. The final product looked something like a bird - in the most minimal and abstract sense of the word.

"A paper glider!" he exclaimed. "Watch."

The Captain held the paper contraption between his thumb and index finger. Positioning it parallel to the ground, he flicked his wrist and released the glider. It sailed up and forward for a few moments. A mild breeze angled its course to the right as it continued to glide down the hill. Gravity finally took over and gently landed the glider on top of the grass.

"That's incredible! Can I try flying it?" Kristoff's starry eyes were fixated on the paper glider at the base of the hill.

"Of course, of course!"

Kristoff took off in a run before the Captain could finish his reply. They continued to play and marvel at the paper model until the moon hung high in the sky. Ivan and Kristoff bid Renata and the Captain farewell as they made their way to dinner. The boy had been so excited about the glider that they finally let him take it home.

"Hey, grandpa?" Renata called meekly to her grandfather.

"Yes, Renata," the Captain answered.

"Could we ever build a glider big enough to fight titans?"

"Well now, there's a thought."

"Do you think it's possible?"

"It's possible… but highly improbable. It would take a large number of resources to build a glider that big, let alone a whole fleet of them. Then there is the problem of propelling them. They'd be too big to be controlled by compressed gas."

"I see…"

"But you know, there are other ways of flying, Renata. There are many other possibilities, like I told you before. It will take a creative and persistent mind to find the right blueprint, but it is very much possible."

"Hey, grandpa… You never answered my question yesterday."

"Oh?"

"The one about why I have to learn all of these things."

"I did answer you. I told you the purpose of science and its potential for application in this world."

"But _why _me? Why not Tristan?"

"Well, to be blunt, your brother isn't the brightest bulb in the bucket… Why do _you_ think I'm teaching you, Renata?"

"Because you're old and you never had kids and you're bitter about the military discharging you… that's what mom says."

"I wasn't asking your mother's opinion, Renata. I was asking for yours."

Renata looked up into the branches of the Blackwood. Flecks of starlight peeked through the rustling leaves above. The stillness of night had finally settled in around them. What did she think anyway? Come to think of it, no one had ever asked for her opinion before. Everything in her life had been pre-determined to this point. There was never any questioning of what her parents had decided. They had based their reasoning off of what was best for the Odilon family's name – what would maintain their status, what would push them further up the echelons of the nobility. In the grand scheme of things, Renata's thoughts were just idle commentary.

"I'm not sure really. I honestly haven't thought about it until now. I think you want me to do something with it. Test it out, make all of it real, or even find out if any of it is true."

"You are not entirely wrong, but you are most certainly not correct. The truth is that you are far too young and know far too little for me to give you that answer, Renata. In time, you will come to know the purpose yourself. And unfortunately, that may happen once I am long gone. But your mind is strong. You can find the answer without me. You just have to listen and remember what I tell you. That is the only thing I will ever ask of you."

"Grandpa… I'll do my best."

"_Veritas inlustrat_, little one."

"_Et fidelii oríminī_."

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: **For those who are curious, the piece Renata was playing is J.S. Bach's _Invention No. 4_. It's a short, fun little piece that can get your fingers really tied up if you're not prepared.

**DISCLAIMER: **I do not claim any rights to any creative and/or intellectual property belonging to Hajime Isayama. All source material is based from _Shingeki no Kyojin _and credit is given to the aforementioned author.


	3. 003: The Silence That Follows

_So this is what the end is like..._

"Hey, whiplash!"

_It's so dark. I thought it'd be a little more interesting than this at least._

"Don't call her that! Wait, do you think she's…?"

_Oh well. Can't complain about it now. _

"Nah. She's still breathing. Out like a light though."

"Wait! Don't move her. We don't know if she's broken anything."

"We can't just wait around here. The formation's already moved too far ahead. We're going to get left behind, and I don't think Shadis is in the mood to send out a search and rescue team. Here, help me pick her up and get her on my back."

_God, that hurts._

"She's too heavy with her gear strapped on. Undo her belt."

_Please. Stop it._

"Almost there… use my jacket to secure her arms."

_I'm begging you._

"Alright. Let's go."

Anya took off first, Marcel trailing close behind. The two moved steadily through the fading gray light avoiding any sudden movements that could worsen Renata's condition. The wind and rain had finally died down, but the temperature continued to drop. Before long, they'd be in danger of contracting hypothermia. Their only goal now was to keep moving.

Two hours later, bone-chilled and staggering, they rendezvoused with the rear guard of the 102nd. The formation continued pushing forward until a clearing came into view. Four rows of wagons horse-shoed around the break in the tree line like the mouth of an overly expectant animal waiting to be fed. Keith Shadis, the newest instructor within the Trainee Squad and former commander of the Scounting Legion, stood at the center of the arrangement.

"Cadets, prepare to dismount!" a voice echoed somewhere from the front of the formation. As if by perfectly orchestrated design, each cadet gradually slowed their pace and began to descend towards the ground as they glided towards the edge of the forest. The trees began to spit them out in disjointed rows that – like iron filings clinging to a magnetic force – quickly reassembled after landing. Instructors began to call accountability section by section.

"Vanguard, fully accounted!"

"Right flank, fully accounted!"

"Left flank, three unaccounted!"

"Center column, fully accounted!"

"Rear guard, fully accounted and bearing extra."

The cadets stood silently at attention, awaiting their next orders. Shadis and two other instructors began to comb through the rows, inspecting the state of each trainee, but it wasn't their physical condition that interested them. The three men were looking for something more. Which of the trainees had given up, which had failed to meet the call of the titans, and which had finally steeled their resolve – Shadis could only guess, but there were stories to be told by their eyes. They had trained diligently for six months, honing their skills, perfecting their maneuvers. No strategy or protocol was left unturned in preparing the trainees for their first simulation. The cadets had mastered the information with impressive speed and resolve. There was little the instructors could throw at the 102nd that could slow their momentum. And yet, they would all reach their breaking point eventually. Shadis would ensure of that and the results were beginning to show. Even now, the once anticipating glint in the cadets' eyes had faded since the morning. It seemed that all the practice in the world could not prepare them for the burden of reality – the rush of mid-battle adrenaline, the unbridled power of a sharpened saber, the ever-pressing anxiety of meeting a titan around the next bend. He paced and searched for the uncertainty that surely burned in their chests. A sizeable gap on the outer row of the left flank stopped him in his tracks.

"Well, well… looks like a few of your comrades got spooked by the dummies," Shadis shook his head. "Or maybe they were foolish enough to get eaten by one."

"S-sir, they engaged one of the targets we encountered about two hours ago. They haven't returned since-" A cadet spoke up from the row.

"Did I ask for your assessment, cadet?"

"N-no, s-sir! But they might be injured. I-I'd like to request a search team to locate them."

"So you already think yourself a soldier, hm? Speaking out of line and calling the shots. How are you sure they're even alive?"

"They're the best our squad's got, sir. If they don't survive… how much hope does that leave the rest of us?"

"And if they've betrayed you? Deserted their comrades?"

"I… I don't know, but we won't know for sure until we try. And if they have, then that makes three fewer traitors we have to worry about when the stakes really matter."

"Does anyone else share Eisenberg's sentiments?" Shadis turned to the rest of the flank. The response was a wave of grunts and shuffling. "It appears you are alone in your assumption."

"Then I request to go alone, sir!" the cadet saluted his superior.

"Shadis! We've found three of your charges bumbling around the rear guard," a voice interrupted before Shadis could reply. "One of them is unconscious."

The cadet gave a deep sigh of relief and dropped his salute. Shadis glared back and the cadet quickly stiffened in posture.

"It looks like you've all made it by the skin of your teeth once again. Left flank, you are dismissed," Shadis ordered. The rows disbanded hesitantly, lingering a hair too long for their instructor's patience. "Unless you all would like to run the course again." The trainees did not falter any further.

The two instructors made their way towards the back ranks of the formation. Their rows had already dispersed leaving behind a small cluster of trainees. Marcel towered over them at the center. The others frantically moved about attempting to free him from the bundle on his back. He strained and grimaced as they tried to release him. As the instructors drew closer, it became very clear that the bundle was body. A mop of messily braided hair poured over its pale face, streaks of deep crimson peeking out from beneath. It slumped at a strangle angle. The smooth arch one would expect to see on a normal human back seemed to have been shoved askew.

A prickle on the back of Anya's neck alerted her to the arrival of their superiors. She turned and saluted.

"Sir! My deepest apologies. We were separated from the formation after we engaged one of the targets in the forest," she reported.

"And your comrade?" the other instructor inquired.

"Maneuvering error, sir, but we were able to neutralize the target."

"Very well. We will debrief back at camp."

"Sir!"

Anya saluted again and hurried back to the group, which was carefully laying Renata on a stretcher. They then rejoined the rest of the 102nd at the wagons and began their way back to a warm meal and rest. The exercise was over, and the worst was finally behind them… for now.

* * *

Pale sunlight dribbled through a filter of clouds, filling the infirmary with a hazy gloom. Ten beds neatly lined either side of the small cabin. They were dressed in a sterile white that matched the curtains between each bed protecting each patient from the prying eyes of others. Unfortunately, they did little against sound. The rumble of snoring from the far side of the cabin succeeded in waking Renata from her twelve-hour coma in the middle of the night. She'd been counting the knots in the rafters ever since. At least the rain had finally stopped.

The nurse began making her rounds at midmorning. After changing the bandages around Renata's head, she placed a cup of water and two small pills on the nightstand. They were "for the pain", but Renata ignored the gesture. The lady was obviously being too cautious. _What pain?_ It wasn't until she tried to push up off the bed that Renata gave the little pills a second thought. The most exquisite pain shot up her spine and left her clawing at the bed sheets for mercy.

"It's a pretty bad sprain... We thought you'd completely broken your back, but everything seemed intact during the physical examination," the nurse smiled as she helped Renata sit up and repositioned the pillows. Tears welled up behind Renata's eyes as she spewed curses under her breath. "It'll be some time until you regain full range of motion. Just try to take it easy for now."

_Gee, you think?_

"A few of the officers will be coming around in an hour. They want the full story of what happened yesterday. Something about post-exercise assessments. Honestly, they couldn't let it wait. Half of you are barely even conscious to be giving reports! There's not enough room for them to be puttering around the infirmary anyway. We've got too many patients and not enough beds… how on earth am I supposed to work like this?"

The nurse trailed off as she shuffled around the next curtain. Renata stared after her, the throbbing at her back slowly dissipating. What had she gotten herself into? Once upon a time, the world was hers for the taking. There was hope. There was potential. And yet… She looked across the room at her reflection in the window. The hollow eyes of a wretched shade stared back – its pale face framed by a cascade of flaming hair. A deep scowl had been etched into where a plump smile had once played. She was starting to look a lot like her favorite piano teacher. Things seemed so simple back then; but the dreams of music and peace had long since faded leaving behind the mess that wallowed in the sterile sheets before her. The cold bitterness her grandfather had spoken so often of had finally made her acquaintance.

Renata looked over at the pills on the nightstand. Next to them rested a dainty silver chain from which a small pendant hung – two roses in full bloom twisted around each other in a desperate embrace. It was the only thing she had left of Shiganshina and her beloved. He'd given it to her the last time she'd seen him alive.

"_Happy birthday, sleepy," Kristoff pinched Renata's nose. "I have a surprise for you."_

"_Hey, stop that! I don't have to be up for another hour," Renata swatted at his face. He easily caught her slender wrist in his strong hands. _

"_Some of us don't get that luxury, y'know. I don't get to see my wife's lovely face on her special day?" he crooned. _

"_Fine."_

_Renata pouted and sat up. Kristoff sat at the edge of the bed, grinning stupidly as he held one hand behind his back. _

"_Close your eyes!" he ordered._

_"Kristoff… how old are we?" Renata groaned._

"Just let me do it my way for once."

"_Fine fine."_

"_Alright, now open them!"_

_Renata slowly opened her eyes and looked down at the cool metal that had just been wrapped around her neck. A smile played at her lips as the necklace glinted in the dim light._

"_A rose for my rose," his grin grew wider._

"_Kristoff… you're such a child," Renata shook her head. She leaned forward and kissed him. "Thank you."_

"_For your grandfather. For what he gave us."_

It seemed like forever since then. Kristoff's childish expression would always be burned into her memory, right beside the image of his lifeless, mangled corpse. Renata pressed her face into her hands in an attempt to push back the tears. This all had to be a mistake… It would all be over soon like some awful dream. Yet no matter how much she willed it, each day, the moment of waking never came.

The officers arrived at exactly an hour later just as the nurse had predicted. They started their sweep at the entrance of the infirmary and slowly made their way down. Renata strained to hear their conversations with the other soldiers but only managed to get incoherent mumbles. They eventually made it to her cubicle. Six men in crisp uniform filed in around her bed. One of them was Shadis, irritated as ever.

"Cadet Svoboda," a scruffy officer wearing half-moon spectacles greeted from the foot of the bed. "The purpose of our visit is to obtain a full report of the incident that led to your injuries yesterday. Please be as detailed as possible."

Renata had been one of only fifteen cadets who had successfully neutralized one of the simulation titans. She was also the only cadet out of the fifteen to have been injured, a detail that seemed very strange to Shadis and the other instructors. She – like the others – had shown advanced mastery of the three-dimensional gear prior to the exercise, yet in the moment, she could not produce the same results. This would prove to be a fatal weakness if not addressed appropriately.

"Sir," Renata acknowledged. "Cadet Garin, Cadet Bouchard, and I were part of the outer row of the left flank. We followed formation until two hours into the exercise. A 10m target was identified in the 8'oclock region. My group dispatched from the formation in the direction of the target. Before we engaged, I ordered both Cadet Garin and Cadet Bouchard to weaken the target's legs while I delivered the final blow. I remember landing the hit, but everything afterwards is blurry."

"Was your equipment properly inspected before the exercise?" the same spectacled officer inquired.

"Yes, sir. It was inspected by myself and the chief instructor."

"Cadet Garin reported that the accident was caused by a 'maneuvering error'. What do you think she meant by this?"

Renata paused for a moment and tried hard to think back to forest. She remembered the trees flying past her in the icy sheets of rain. There was a surge of adrenaline that propelled her maneuver across the fake titan's back. But after she landed the blow, the shadowy trees began to rush forward. Panic settled in and she could not control her trembling hands. She remembered firing the second grapple and the sudden jolt that stopped her trajectory. Another dull pain shot up Renata's back. She winced at the memory.

"I panicked," she replied flatly.

"Panic?" Shadis cocked his head to the side.

"Yes, sir. Panic. I was moving too fast when I went in for the kill. By the time I realized it it was already too late. I made a split second decision and my cable snapped. That's how I ended up on the ground."

"Interesting."

There was another long pause as the instructors began to jot down notes in their folders. The spectacled officer mumbled something to his neighbor who repeated the message down the line. The six instructors looked back at him and nodded in agreement. Shadis turned his attention back to Renata and scratched at his stubble. His eyes made Renata fidget.

"Why are you here, Cadet Svoboda?" he finally spoke.

"I'm here for humanity, sir. I want to prevent what happened at Shiganshina from ever happening again," Renata replied stiffly.

"That's nice. How many times did you have to rehearse that?"

The other instructors frowned slightly at Shadis's remark.

"Forgive me for speaking out of turn, but I was under the impression that this was an exercise assessment not a personal evaluation."

"We are assessing the exercise, but the purpose of the exercise itself was to identify your capacity as a soldier. If the error is in the individuals and not the exercise, the problem must be dealt with accordingly," the officer with the half-moon glasses interrupted before Shadis could interject.

Renata shifted against the pillows uncomfortably. Why did that statement sound so familiar?

"In either case, we are placing you in remedial 3DMG training until the next field exercise."

"What?! But I scored higher than the rest of the squadron in our first 3DMG assessment!"

"That may be true, but you have yet to prove that in the field."

"But I still downed that titan!"

"Slaying a titan means nothing if you can't get away, let alone keep a level head in the battle. You are to report to the training grounds the morning after you are formally released from care. We will be in touch with the nurse. Until then, that is all."

With that, the officers each made a note on their files and filed out of the cubicle as quickly as they came. Renata hardly had time to process what had just occurred. She was oblivious to the burning anger growing deep inside until it she realized she'd been clutching at the bed sheets. How dare they assume her lack of skill? Hadn't they been paying attention these past six months? She was one of the best they had, and one small mistake constituted complete remedial training. They were going to regret that assumption one way or another. Renata would personally ensure it.

* * *

******AUTHOR'S NOTE:** I decided to cut "The Silence That Follows" in half for an easier read. I've also fixed a few details in the story to address continuity issues and add in more character development... more to come soon!

**DISCLAIMER: **I do not claim any rights to any creative and/or intellectual property belonging to Hajime Isayama. All source material is based from Shingeki no Kyojin and credit is given to the aforementioned author.


	4. 004: The Long Road Ahead

"Heeeeyy, earth to Ren! Are you listening to me?" Anya waved her tiny hands dangerously close to Renata's face.

"Y-yeah. Wait. What are we talking about?" Renata blinked back into reality.

"Honestly, your mind wanders around more than the Scouting Legion," Marcel rolled his eyes. Renata glared back daggers. The two had been visiting Renata at the infirmary regularly for the past eight weeks. It was slow going staying inside most of the day. She'd been required to keep up with the new formation plans and strategy lessons, but the same could not be required for physical exercises. She spent that time in physical therapy with the nurse.

"I was saying we should look into joining the Military Police. I mean, there's a very high chance that all three of us will graduate within the top ten of the 102nd. We've all scored at the top of each training section, and we haven't gotten chewed out by any of the instructors _so far_. If we keep this up, we'll get to live in the lap of luxury for the rest of our lives! What do you all say? I don't want to go to the interior by myself! I don't think I'll be able to fit in alone."

"Anya, you barely even fit in with us…" Marcel shook his head. "The interior doesn't sound so bad, though. Probably gets dull, but who really _wants _to fight titans anyway? I just feel bad for all the other chumps here. Come graduation, they won't have the same luxury of choice like us."

"You really should listen to yourselves sometimes," Renata sighed. "There's nothing guaranteed to us here. We've barely gotten through our first year. You can't go making assumptions about our rankings just yet. Who knows? Maybe Eisenberg will pass us all up eventually."

"Eisenberg? Mr. Bleeding-heart? He's way too soft. He'll titan bait to the dummies before we know it! At least he made it through the first field exercise without breaking anything. The same can't be said for a certain someone…" A wry smile played at Marcel's lips.

"It's a sprain. Nothing is broken. And it was an honest mistake," Renata snorted. "Either way, he's got one leg up on me at the very least. He's not limited to a bed for three months. I'll be the chump pretty soon. Plus, the instructors are on your side. They could care less about how much I try."

"Especially with that attitude."

"I could care less about how they care less. I'm not here to impress them, but I'm not here to be a useless meat sack either."

It was a half truth. Deep inside, Renata craved some validation for the amount of effort she placed in their grueling training regimen. Put bluntly, the entire situation was just unfair. She was being punished for her initiative and skill. The other half of Renata honestly did not care.

"So what branch are you considering, Renata?" Marcel inquired as he shuffled a deck of cards.

"The Scouting Legion," she replied flatly.

"Ren, you can't! They lose so many soldiers on those meaningless expeditions. You'll just become another statistic," Anya was suddenly at her feet, clutching Renata's hand.

"I'd rather die on a meaningless expedition than die waiting on a meaningless king."

"Always have to get on your soapbox and preach about the monarchy, eh? _Of course_ it makes sense that you joined the military. How does it feel always being perched on that pedestal of morals?"

"Marcel, stop that. Look, at least we're being honest with ourselves, Ren. I thought that you of all people would want stability. After everything you had to see in Shiganshina, don't you think you deserve some peace?"

It'd been seven years since Renata had last seen Mitras. Her departure had been during an unpleasant period with her family. She never did look back. There wasn't much for her to miss aside from spending time with her brother. Of course, her friends had yet to understand this viewpoint. She had yet to tell them of her life in the capital.

"I'm not trying to change your minds, guys. What you decide to do is your own choice. Mitras is a beautiful place – lonely – but beautiful. There's just too much _history _for me to live peacefully back there."

"Whatever you say… "

"Soooo, another round of Rummy?"

* * *

Three weeks later, Renata was finally discharged from the infirmary and cleared for training. She awoke before sunrise and got dressed for the long day ahead. Her uniform consisted of the standard issue boots, 3DMG harness, and off-white slacks with a simple white button-up beneath the cropped, tan jacket. She finished it off with a pair of elbow length leather gloves that buckled over the jacket sleeves. Her red hair draped over her back in a loose braid.

After a final check over her 3DMG gear, she set off towards the training grounds. The other recruits still remained fast asleep. By the time she arrived, the sun was already peeking up behind the horizon. Shadis stood waiting by the 3DMG mounts they had used as beginners. Renata desperately hoped they wouldn't be starting back from square one. It'd be utterly demoralizing to have to re-master staying upright with the three-dimensional gear. Renata quickly surveyed the deserted quarry. At least she'd only be embarrassed in front of one instructor instead of the entire squadron.

"Don't bother mounting. I'd hope you're past the balancing act already," Shadis greeted. "We're going to try something a little different today."

"Yes, sir," Renata responded drowsily. She followed him to the base of the cliff behind the mounting apparatus. The cliff tapered in a smooth angle near the bottom then suddenly shot directly up at a ninety-degree angle for one hundred feet.

"You're going to climb this cliff face with only your three-dimensional gear and your lower body strength," Shadis announced. "You're not allowed to use the gas to propel yourself up, and you're not allowed to quit until you reach the very top."

"You have got to be kidding me… Vertical wall scaling without gas assistance is almost impossible. I don't have that kind of lower body strength."

"I'm a man of limitless patience, cadet. We can hang out here all day and night if you want. So I suggest you start getting climbing."

Renata glanced at her instructor dumbfounded. There was absolutely now way she'd make it up the cliff side with her legs and the grapples alone. At a ninety-degree angle, re-positioning each cable as she scaled the wall would be nearly impossible. There wasn't enough clearance to re-fire each time… unless she tried something a little unorthodox.

Positioning herself on a small boulder at the base of the cliff, Renata angled her hips towards the highest point she could manage. She pulled the triggers when she found the perfect angle, burying the anchors deep into the rock face. Then she began to climb. At first, she managed without hanging on to the cables, but as the grade of the incline increased, she found herself depending on them for balance. Eventually, her body was completely parallel to the ground, forcing her to fight both the gravity and vertigo that had settled in. A slight ache began to grow in her lower back. It was a slow process finding the proper footholds and using the contracting the right muscles to take advantage of the cable tension, but Renata pushed onward. The faster she got done with it, the sooner she could get back to sleep.

"Why did you come here, Svoboda?" Shadis suddenly shouted from below. His voice took Renata by surprise and almost sent her careening back to the base of the cliff. She steadied herself on the cables and took a deep breath.

"I'm here for humanity's sake! I want to reclaim what was taken from Shiganshina!" she finally replied. She took Shadis's silence as an order to continue moving, and so she did. Gravity's pull became more evident as she climbed higher and higher. The rock face began to grow jagged and uneven. Renata had to carefully consider where she decided to step next. When she finally came close to the anchor points of the cables, she knew she'd have to take a risk with the next maneuver. She carefully steadied herself on the cables and bent her knees towards the cliff. Her body leaned forward and up. In one smooth motion, she jackknifed off the rock face and released the grapple anchors from the cliff. As her body began to enter free-fall, she quickly re-fired the anchors into a position higher on the wall. The resulting force pulled her back into the rock face and positioned her slightly lower than she had been before she jumped. Thus, she began to climb again. Renata repeated the move two more times. On the second attempt, her body slipped on the landing, and one of the cables unhooked from the cliff side. She violently slammed into the rocks like a ragdoll sending spasms of sharp pain down her back. After taking a few moments to recover, she repositioned herself and continued onward.

"Cadet, what do you think you're doing here?" Shadis shouted again after a long pause.

"I'm preparing for humanity's sake!" Renata strained to yell back at her instructor.

"How far will you go?"

"Until the battle is won!"

As she began to reach the top of the cliff, the rocks became so jagged and irregular that Renata's footholds began to spread wide from each other. She spent double the time searching for gaps that would hold her weight. Pulling off her re-positioning maneuver would be very dangerous in this situation, but she was so close to seeing the top. Sweat beaded at her forehead as the sun rose high behind her. Her arms screamed in pain and fatigue while her legs had grown numb. She was one maneuver away from the top. If she could land it, she would be home free for the climb. She positioned herself in a low crouch again and attempted to re-position the anchors into their final resting points. The jump came out a hair too short, and her legs caught into two deep gaps on the rock face. Her left ankle was bent into an awkward position. Unfortunately, this positioning meant she'd have to make the final few feet of the climb without assistance of the cables.

"Why are you here, cadet?!" Shadis suddenly yelled again.

"I want to save humanity!" Renata called back down.

"That's not the answer I want to hear!"

Renata's right foothold slipped from the gap. She grabbed the right cable to balance herself just as her other foot lost contact with the cliff face. Her body crashed into the rock, leaving her nose badly scrapped. She let her body go limp in defeat.

"Why are you here, cadet?!"

"I'm repaying a debt," she finally replied.

"A debt to whom?"

"To the two people who ever gave my life purpose."

"And they are?"

Silence.

"I can't hear you, cadet!"

"Dead to the world. Dead because of my ignorance," Renata's voice trailed into a whimper. What the hell was she doing here? Why was she still trying so hard to make them proud? Tears welled up in her eyes and blurred her vision. Who was she kidding anyway? This wasn't the life she had planned to live, and yet she was trying so hard to pretend like she could handle the cards that had been dealt. She clawed at the tears in her eyes and glared back down at the base of the cliff. So this was the game Shadis was playing – he wanted to see her at her weakest. He wanted to break her and everything she stood for. But he didn't know her. He didn't know her dreams of seeing the outside world. He had no idea what she was capable of. What she stood for was so much bigger than him. How dare he challenge that? When Renata found him, he'd melt from the anger pouring from her eyes. But he was nowhere to be found. The man had completely disappeared.

"I'm still waiting, cadet," Shadis called from above. He stood at the peak of the cliff, leering down at Renata's limp figure. She met his gaze with surprise and bitterness.

Renata continued the climb, this time with the resolution to reach the top and beat the living daylights out of her instructor's balding head. Just as she was about to begin the final few feet without assistance from the grapple cables, Shadis shouted down, "Use your gas, cadet!"

_Who the hell does he think he is? _

Renata brushed off his advice and continued to claw at the rock face. She could see the peak growing closer and closer. She released the anchors from the cliff to continue moving upwards. Her right hand reached the top first just as her right foothold gave way, filling her body with pre-free fall sensations. A strong arm grabbed her right wrist and yanked her body onto the top of the cliff. Shadis's shadow loomed over Renata's heaving body. She took a moment to catch her breath then lunged towards his ominous figure. He slowly sidestepped to the right and sent Renata into a crumpled heap on the ground.

"You didn't hesitate that time, but you still have a lot to learn about team work," he stated firmly.

"_Team work_? If I remember correctly, I was the only one climbing that damned cliff!" Renata spat back.

"And yet, when I offered you my help, you conveniently ignored it."

Renata sat silently. He did have a point. It would have been so much easier to use the gas to propel herself up those last few feet. What had held her back? Why had she been so angry? She stared at the ground, lost in her train of thought.

"Have you finally realized what you are really doing here, cadet? Or would you like to join the next wagon out to the landfills?"

"I-I… Sir, I know why I'm here."

Shadis rubbed his stubbled chin and turned towards the cliff. The sun sat high above the training grounds. He smiled to himself; content he'd finally made some progress. Somewhere, Etzel would be smiling as well.

"Good work today, Svoboda. That is all I have. We will continue tomorrow."

Renata saluted in response. Once she had gathered herself, she slowly began to walk towards a trail leading back down into the quarry. She had just been out of earshot when Shadis called back, "Svoboda!"

"Yes, sir."

"_Veritas inlustrat_."

He then turned and walked in the opposite direction towards the officers' cabins. Renata stood dead in her tracks, dumbstruck by the words he had just uttered. There was no way he could have known that phrase unless he was one of _them_. She hesitated in her steps, unsure of whether to call the words back. Her suspicious side got the best of her and she decided against it, continuing instead back to the trainee village for a full meal and a night's rest.

_Et fidelii __oríminī__._

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: **I decided to cut "The Silence That Follows" in half for an easier read. I've also fixed a few details in the story to address continuity issues and add in more character development... more to come soon!

**DISCLAIMER: **I do not claim any rights to any creative and/or intellectual property belonging to Hajime Isayama. All source material is based from Shingeki no Kyojin and credit is given to the aforementioned author.


	5. 005: These Four Walls

The Odilon family gathered in the grand hall for supper. A thick silence veiled the meal punctuated only by the tinkling of glass and silverware. Renata sat stiffly in her seat, squirming beneath the layers of ruffles her mother had just swathed her in. It took double the usual effort to move. She carefully reached for the salt and pepper but came just short as her elbow nudged her glass of water off the side of the table. Renata cringed in anticipation for the crash.

_BANG! BANG! BANG!  
_

The family was suddenly at their feet. Who could be visiting the estate at this hour?

"I'm sorry, sir. You and your men will have to return later. Sir Gregory is currently having supper with his family," a servant's voice muffled from the foyer.

"My business is not with Sir Gregory. I'm here for the old man," an angry voice spat back.

Immediately, Gregory placed his napkin on the table and straightened his coat. He eyed his wife Amelia warily before he traipsed towards the door.

"Well if it isn't the city's finest! Djel, my good man! What brings you to my home this lovely evening?"

"Skip the pleasantries, Greg. Your father and his recent streak of theatrics has half the nobility in Mitras clawing at our door!"

"I'm not sure I understand, Djel. My father has always had a drinking problem… I'd expected this to be common knowledge by now. If he's causing such a ruckus on the streets, we'll be sure to keep him on the grounds from now on-"

"I'm not talking about his drunken escapades. There's talk of a floating monstrosity hovering about the Odilon vineyard spitting smoke and fire. The noise is making people believe we're under titan attack!"

"I assure you there are no flying monsters on my estate, Djel."

"Then you would agree to a property search by my men?"

"If that will put the minds of the Military Police at rest..."

Djel turned to the others in his group and nodded. The others split up and began encircling the estate, searching ever nook and crevice their eyes landed upon. Despite their five star efforts, nothing was found amiss. Not even a single blade of grass seemed out of place.

"It looks like we're done here," Djel finally reported back.

"Anything I should be worried about?" Gregory inquired smugly.

"Nothing... for now. But I'd start keeping a closer eye on that old man of yours. The king is starting to get suspicious, Greg. We wouldn't want to have to meet again like this, would we? Especially if we actually find something…"

"I appreciate your concern and will take those words to heart. Good night to you and your men, Djel. Always a pleasure with the Military Police."

Djel and his men left with a small sense of assurance albeit frustrated and confused. They'd have to find another way to put the nobility's nerves at ease.

The Odilon family continued on with their meal, but the silence seemed louder than ever. An uncomfortable tension hung low about the hall. Both Tristan and Renata shared momentary glances as each tried to suppress the urge to ask the obvious question. The dark look painted on their father's face helped them remain silent. Evening meals were usually not this quiet. Gregory would always announce the current status of the vineyard, how the grapes had been doing, and how long until the wine would be ready. Amelia usually had some sort of common gossip to share about another family. It was all idle talk that upheld the social aspects of their parental and marital obligations. Etzel – Gregory's father and a former captain of the Garrison – always found a way to lighten the mood with his out of place jokes and scientific theories. The family liked to brush this off as a sign of senility.

The Captain had not joined them this evening. He'd mentioned meeting up with an old friend he hadn't seen in years. This was before disappearing in the early morning hours. Gregory took this as a sign that the Captain was about to partake in another bought of debauchery. He had absolutely no intentions of waiting for his father to return.

After the meal had been successfully decimated, Tristan was sent up to bed and Renata was sent to evening practice. The lovely letter from Cordelia Finn left such a vivid impression on Renata's parents that they refused to speak to their daughter for two days. They only came around after Cordelia had accepted their apology and suggested suitable forms of disciplinary action. In the end, Renata was rewarded with four additional hours of practice after dinner each evening. This would continue until Cordelia deemed her skill worthy. That had been six weeks ago. Renata unfortunately continued to fail her expectations.

Renata reluctantly placed her hands in the F minor position and began to play Chopin's Nocturne. It took some coaxing to get her mind into gear, but once she began, the notes flowed effortlessly. Her hands climbed the keys locked in a melancholic waltz. She closed her eyes and sank into the stream of melody. It was in these moments alone where Renata could let her mind wander aimlessly that she really felt connected to the music. As the crescendo built, she could see the pinnacle of Wall Maria, the rising sun clawing out from behind – its tendrils of rosy light fighting to breach Maria's defenses. The plains of once-chartered territory sprawled out on the other side. Wild and untamed in its glory, only the Scouting Legion knew what mysteries she hid. Sights and sounds Renata would never see, a world of wonder and bittersweet freedom unbridled by the whims of mankind. Then there were the smiles of her family – true and sincere for the first time she could remember. Her father walked up and took her hand, spinning her in circles to the slow waltz. He wore the look that her grandfather would always wear when he listened to her play. She giggled to herself, but Renata knew these images were not real. She loved her family, but they were the tethers that chained her to the life of the aristocracy. They were the reason she'd never see those endless plains, and so she was atop Wall Maria once more. The waltz began to slow, and she sadly bid her dreams farewell. When she opened her eyes, she found herself back in the darkness.

The sound of the front door opening and quickly being slammed caught her attention. Heavy footsteps hurried through the corridor.

"Etzel Odilon, where in Wall Sina have you been?" Gregory's angry voice muddled through the walls. "The Military Police were looking for you! What did you do this time?"

"Now, now is that any way to greet your father after he's had a long day of work?" the Captain chuckled in reply. "Did word spread that quickly about my newest invention? It's far from complete, but I'm glad the fans weren't disappointed!"

"This isn't a game, Etzel! When are you going to come back to reality? Your time with the garrison is over. That same recklessness is what got you discharged, and it's what's about to ruin the Odilon name _again_. Does everything I sacrificed to reclaim our pride mean nothing to you?"

"I'd hardly call planting a bunch of grapes and making juice a sacrifice. The family has come a long way, and I think you all are doing a fine job without me. But I have a duty to fulfill, son, and I'm sorry I can't help you see that."

"So you'd willingly throw away the peace we worked so hard to achieve for this family for some god forsaken promise you made to a group of delusional men? I dare say that you've finally kicked the bucket, Etzel. Your duty is to this family now, not to them or humanity. I don't need to see any of your justifications. Under this roof, you will respect the integrity of this family's name!" Gregory's voice had grown into a thunderous rumble so great that it sounded crystal clear through the walls. Renata gripped the seat of the piano bench. She'd never heard her father or grandfather this angry before.

"You call this achievement, Gregory? Rolling around in wealth and comfort like a pig in the mud? I would've much rather died on wall than see my own son fall into the complacency of the capital. Take a look around. Do you think this peace is going to last? It's been quiet far too long. You value order and peace so much that you forget one of the most basic rules: entropy rules all. The titans are getting restless, and before long, those beautiful walls we've come to worship and cower behind will come crumbling down and chaos will come flooding back in. No title, no name, no self-proclaiming sacrifice will save you from that, son. You will drown just like the rest."

"You've been going around with those lunatics again, haven't you? You're the one who's become deluded! Fancying useless parlor tricks and idle conversations about morality. You think yourselves above the rest, but the world is simpler than you're making it, Etzel. There was a time and place for that mindset, and it has long passed. What matters today is stability, order, _peace_. And that is what the monarchy has brought us – one hundred years of undisturbed peace. Why do you wish to destroy that? What about the children? What about their futures? They'll go on forever with a soiled name if you keep this up.

Just admit it. Admit that it's the bitterness that's doing all the talking. You were never able to live up to your own father's expectations so you stuck it to him and tried to blaze your own way. And when the world finally chastised you for being wrong, you could never live down the shame that you knew your father had always been right."

Sir Gregory seemed to have hit a nerve. Etzel had gone silent for several moments before he cleared his throat loudly and began speaking intently.

"I will not deny being bitter. The fools in the garrison never knew the front of a cannon from the rear. They never listened to my suggestions, and it will be their loss in the end. But just because my words fell upon deaf ears does not mean we can completely abandon our heritage. We are men of science, Gregory, men of logic, men of innovation! This is our blood. This _is_ our family's legacy. And this _is _Renata and Tristan's future. My father was embarrassed of our family's gift for knowledge because it was unpleasing to the king. He was afraid of what would happen, afraid of what would be taken away. He was exactly like you. He let fear control his life. But he died a more bitter man than me because he gave up his identity for peace.

So tell me son, will you line up like another sheep for slaughter at the hands of the monarchy? Or will you remember who you are and what your family once stood for?"

"I'll tell you, _old man_, and listen well. I'm telling you to keep my family and my children out of this mess of yours. They do not deserve to inherit the mistakes of their elders. And if I hear so much as another peep about your absurd rantings or inventions, you will be formally denounced from the Odilon family's name," Gregory articulated each and every syllable with so much spite that Renata's pulse began to rise. She quivered at thought of the icy glare her father had probably unleashed upon her poor grandfather. The same set of heavy footsteps bounded back through the corridor and up the grand staircase into the night. Silence stealthily followed.

Renata sat in the stillness, the spiteful words of her father echoing in her ears. He was so quick to disown the very man who granted him life. Would he do the same to his own children? She shuddered at the thought. But her heart had never known the pain of her grandfather's words. She enjoyed learning everything her grandfather had taught her. She looked forward to every lesson they had each evening, and she believed in everything he told her. There was nothing – save music – that could make her heart sing like the limitless possibilities of science itself. But now, that joy quickly wavered. To be cast away for simply knowing the truth… was the quest for knowledge truly worth it? Renata's brain began to ache.

She began to play the Nocturne again, attempting to empty her mind of the conversation she had just overheard and refilling it with the images of the outside world. She could see the sun again and an endless sea of rolling green spreading out before her. Even if her mind could not decide who was right, Renata could at least enjoy the view. From up here, everything seemed just perfect to her.

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: **Sorry about all the back and forth with the flashbacks! The story has been been stewing around in my head (like a crazy jumbalaya!) and it's been a bit of a challenge trying to piece everything together so it makes sense. I promise this will be the last flashback for a while!

**DISCLAIMER: **I do not claim any rights to any creative and/or intellectual property belonging to Hajime Isayama. All source material is based from Shingeki no Kyojin and credit is given to the aforementioned author.


End file.
